diff --git a/clite/core.js b/clite/core.js
index 47e91db..4c4be6f 100644
--- a/clite/core.js
+++ b/clite/core.js
@@ -511,6 +511,9 @@ license.txt:/etc/license:0:0:-rw-r--r--`;
 				var b = clite.state.bios.io.read(2);
 				if (b) {
 					let list = b.getList();
+					// if we're restoring data, assume cookies were accepted previously
+					if (list.length > 0)
+						clite.state.cookiesAccepted = true;
 					list.forEach(function(fn) {
 						clite.vfs.restoreFile(fn);
 					});
@@ -1343,6 +1346,7 @@ clite.io = {
 				canread:false,
 				canwrite:false,
 				canexec:false,
+				path:path,
 				remote:{
 					ispending:p,
 					callback:null
@@ -1633,6 +1637,7 @@ clite.io = {
 				fd.pos += data.length;
 			}
 			fd.node.time.modify = clite.time.sec();
+			clite.vfs.saveFile(fd.path);
 			return true;
 		}
 		clite.io.ftruncate = function(pid,fd,len) {
@@ -1644,6 +1649,7 @@ clite.io = {
 			if (fd.pos > len)
 				fd.pos = len;
 			fd.node.time.modify = clite.time.sec();
+			clite.vfs.saveFile(fd.path);
 			return true;
 		}
 		clite.io.truncate = function(pid,path,len) {
@@ -1671,7 +1677,11 @@ clite.io = {
 			if (!fd || !fd.canwrite || fd.node.data.isdev)
 				return false;
 			var uid = clite.proc.getUID(pid);
-			return vfsapi.remove(uid,path);
+			clite.vfs.saveFile(fd.path);
+			var r = vfsapi.remove(uid,path);
+			if (r)
+				clite.vfs.saveFile(path);
+			return r;
 		}
 		clite.io.link = function(pid,path,target) {
 			if (!getFileDes(pid,target,false,null))
@@ -1681,10 +1691,14 @@ clite.io = {
 				if (!fd.canwrite)
 					return false;
 				fd.node.data.content = target;
+				clite.vfs.saveFile(path);
 				return true;
 			}
 			var uid = clite.proc.getUID(pid);
-			return vfsapi.mkLink(uid,path,target);
+			var r = vfsapi.mkLink(uid,path,target);
+			if (r)
+				clite.vfs.saveFile(path);
+			return r;
 		},
 		clite.io.fstatat = function(pid,fd,flags) {
 			if (!fd || !fd.node || !fd.canread)
@@ -1803,6 +1817,7 @@ clite.io = {
 			if (!n)
 				return false;
 			n.mode = mode;
+			clite.vfs.saveFile(path);
 			return true;
 		}
 
@@ -2465,26 +2480,6 @@ clite.vfs = {
 			return true;
 		}
 		clite.vfs.getSavedFile = function(path) {
-			var fsnode = {
-				name: '',
-				uid: 0,
-				gid: 0,
-				mode:clite.io.modes.S_IRUSR|clite.io.modes.S_IWUSR|clite.io.modes.S_IRGRP|clite.io.modes.S_IROTH,
-				time:{
-					access:clite.time.sec(),
-					modify:clite.time.sec(),
-					change:clite.time.sec()
-				},
-				data:{
-					remote:null,
-					isdir:false,
-					islink:false,
-					isdev:false,
-					istty:false,
-					parent:null,
-					content:null
-				}
-			};
 			let n = vfsdata.api.getNode(0,path);
 			if (!n)
 				return null;
@@ -2552,7 +2547,25 @@ clite.vfs = {
 			}
 			let n = vfsdata.api.getNode(0,path);
 			if (!n) {
-				return false;
+				var dir = clite.lib.dirname(path);
+				vfsdata.api.mkPath(0,dir);
+				switch (type) {
+				case clite.io.types.FT_DIR:
+					vfsdata.api.mkDir(0,path);
+					break;
+				case clite.io.types.FT_LINK:
+					vfsdata.api.mkLink(0,path,content);
+					break;
+				case clite.io.types.FT_SCRIPT:
+				case clite.io.types.FT_TEXT:
+					vfsdata.api.mkFile(0,path);
+					break;
+				default:
+					return false;
+				}
+				n = vfsdata.api.getNode(0,path);
+				if (!n)
+					return false;
 			}
 			if (clite.lib.getFileType({node:n}) != type)
 				return false;
@@ -2571,12 +2584,14 @@ clite.vfs = {
 		clite.vfs.saveFile = function(path) {
 			if (!clite.state.cookiesAccepted)
 				return true;
-			var str = clite.vfs.getSavedFile(path);
-			if (!str)
-				return false;
 			var b = clite.state.bios.io.read(2);
 			if (!b)
 				return false;
+			var str = clite.vfs.getSavedFile(path);
+			if (!str) {
+				b.delFile(path);
+				return true;
+			}
 			b.addFile(path,str);
 			return true;
 		}
diff --git a/clite/user.js b/clite/user.js
index dc0f59e..7fdd125 100644
--- a/clite/user.js
+++ b/clite/user.js
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ clite.commands.load('user',function(args,env,io) {
 
 	var shell = null;
 	var group = null;
+	let user = null;
 
 	function help() {
 		stdio.printf(`
@@ -349,10 +350,36 @@ Options:
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	function preLogin(str) {
+		if (str == 'no') {
+			clite.setcookiestate(false);
+			io.exit(0);
+			return;
+		}
+		if (str != 'yes') {
+			cookies();
+			return;
+		}
+
+		clite.setcookiestate(true);
+
+		let r = addUser(user);
+		io.exit(r);
+	}
+
+	function cookies() {
+		clite.cookienotice();
+
+		stdio.printf("Enter 'yes' to agree, or 'no' to cancel: ");
+		if (!stdio.read(io.stdin,preLogin)) {
+			stdio.write(io.stderr,'internal error\n');
+			io.exit(1);
+		}
+	}
+
 	function main(args) {
 		let add = false;
 		let rem = false;
-		let user = null;
 		let shellnext = false;
 		let groupnext = false;
 		for (var i=1; i<args.length; i++) {
@@ -400,8 +427,12 @@ Options:
 			return 1;
 		}
 
-		if (add)
-			return addUser(user);
+		if (add) {
+			if (clite.getcookiestate() == true)
+				return addUser(user);
+			cookies();
+			return null;
+		}
 
 		if (rem)
 			return delUser(user);